Tin Tin asks:
> Is it
> possible to create an MSH which can be downloaded and installed indpendent
> of plat forms, and avoding using web Servers.
Realistically, since the intent is to link companies doing B2B, you can probably
assume there will be some sort of internet-connected server at each end.
Might be rather modest hardware (eg. PC's running Windows or .NET
perhaps) but servers there will be in many cases.
In that situation, it's not that hard to download an MSH implementation (Java
or .NET). But I still don't think it is going to happen.
For MLE's (Medium-Large Enterprises), they have some IT capability and
back-end legacy infrastructure. So they will likely find and integrate an MSH
implementation into their infrastructure as a matter of course. Eventually (we
hope), app servers (and maybe MS's BizTalk) will come out of the box with
MSH connectivity making this even easier.
For SME's (Small/Medium), who don't have any IT capability typically, they are
not about to download and install anything, since it implies integration with
their applications. Something they cannot or will not do. ebXML will only
succeed at this level if it comes as part of a turnkey solution, probably
embedded by software vendors like Quicken, Microsoft and others. Due to
the politics of the situation, I'm not holding my breath.
For very small users (or those that just want a simple solution), I think what we
will see are intermediaries (think Covisint) in various industry verticals, which
will provide a web presence and browser interface to the companies. The
intermediary will worry about building out, supporting and integrating the
ebXML components.
The wild card in all this is Web Services. ebXML MSH in many ways looks like
a web service....and if it becomes more ubiquitous, smaller companies might
be able to use Web Services-like tools to provide the link to other trading
partners. If the IT industry ever delivers on the WS promise, this might push
the ability to use exposed Web Services (and more specifically B2B-based
WS's) into smaller organizations.
My 2 cents worth...
Andrzej Jan Taramina
Chaeron Corporation: Enterprise System Solutions
http://www.chaeron.com